Ive seen posts complaining about too much attention being paid to the death of a celebrity when there are riots in Missouri and suicide bombers in the middle east. Ive seen other posts about suicide being the easy way out and dismissing depression as if mind over matter were the real issue. It is social media, and the people saying those things are entitled to their opinion, and it is their right to express it in their posts. That being said, I feel compelled to address these points. Yes, there are terrible things happening around the world that need our attention. But who do I know from the Gaza strip or even Missouri? I grew up with Robin Williams. He is woven into the fabric of our childhood. I sometimes stick my finger in my glass and pretend to get a refreshing drink. I still say Nanu Nanu and Shazbot on a regular basis. There are two reasons I read anything by Walt Whitman: required high school reading and Robin Williams. Good moring Vietnam is a regular greeting I shout at people. There are so many things I do because I aint never had a friend like him. So yeah, I may not have known him, but I certainly did grow up with him. His passing and my profound sadness on account of it does not take away from the need to know what goes on in the world beyond my nose, but the world beyond was definitely affected in a positive way from his presence within it. I mourn his passing. His passing, whether or not it is determined to have been a result of his depression, has shined a spotlight on mental illness, and depression in particular. If any good can come out of this, it is the awareness it brings. To those of you who simply got over your sadness and moved on, I have news for you: you were depressed, but you did not have depression. To those of you who believe suicide is the easy way out, you fail to realize that for someone with crippling depression it may be the only way out. Depression is not just being really really sad. Being sad, by definition, means you are not happy. So getting over your sadness means you can be happy. Depression is a physiological problem. If you have depression, it doesnt mean youre not happy. It means you cannot maintain happiness. It is a real thing, and it is chronic. It is a disorder just like type 1 diabetes is a disorder. We do not dismiss type 1 diabetes because we just eat healthy. We dont pretend it doesnt exist because we havent experienced it. We dont say people who take insulin for it are weak. Clinical depression is also a product of biology, and those who have this illness cannot maintain the chemicals in their brains to attain a healthy level of happiness without medication. If you doubt this, then youve never seen it.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 17:58:27 +0000
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